Jesus, Miley, Taylor, Joe

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK

Jesus, help me be as enthusiastic about you as I am about my favorite musicians! Amen.


JESUS, MILEY, TAYLOR, JOE

Jesus told a crowd, “My sheep — my followers — know my voice when they hear it, and they follow me. I help them to live forever with God, and no one can take them away from me, because God, my Father, gave them to me. God the Father and I are really the same person.

”Whether you’re into Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus or the Jonas Brothers, it probably takes about three notes for you to recognize one of their songs on the radio. Then you’re shushing your friends so you can hear every word and sing along, even if you’ve heard the song a hundred times already.

Pop singers aren’t the only ones whose voices are supposed to make you stop everything and listen. In this week’s Gospel (John 10:27-30), Jesus talks about sheep hearing a shepherd’s voice and following him immediately — except that Jesus is the shepherd, and we’re the sheep!

The reason you stop everything when you hear a Taylor Swift song involves more than the song. The lyrics might mean something to you — maybe you’ve got a crush on a guy and you’ve been thinking, “You belong with me” — but, often, it’s also about liking the singer. You like her personality and want to know more about her.

That was Jesus’ point in the Gospel story: Like sheep follow a shepherd because they can tell he’ll keep them safe and lead them to food and water, people began to follow Jesus because they could tell He was special. It wasn’t just about His words, but His voice, His personality and the love that He showed to everyone.

A song, no matter how great, is only a song, and you’ll probably never meet Joe Jonas or Miley. But if you show the same enthusiasm for what Jesus had to say, you will get to meet Him someday — and, as He promised, no one can ever take you away from God. Heaven is even better than the autographs of all the JoBros!